Mark Lamb (sheriff)

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Mark Lamb
Sheriff Lamb 1.jpg
24th
Assumed office
January 1, 2017
Preceded byPaul Babeu
Personal details
Born1971 or 1972[1]
Political partyRepublican

Mark Lamb is an American sheriff. He was elected Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona in 2017.

Career[]

Lamb worked for the police department of the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community for six years. In 2012, he joined the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. In 2017, Lamb was elected to succeed Paul Babeu as Pinal County Sheriff.[2] Lamb is a Republican.[3]

In a 2021 interview, Lamb described his role as sheriff as involving protecting people from "bad guys" and from "government overreach", and maintaining the rule of law.[1] Lamb enforces law selectively, taking an uncompromising approach to immigration while adopting anti-government rhetoric in relation to COVID-19 vaccination mandates and the legitimacy of the 2020 United States presidential election.[1] He opposes all restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.[1]

Prior to its cancellation in 2020, Lamb frequently appeared on the TV series Live PD.[4][1] Lamb also hosted Live PD: Wanted, a spinoff show.[1] In 2019, he also featured in Season 5 of 60 Days In, in which seven volunteers went undercover in the Pinal County Jail for 60 days to collect insight into jail operations.[5] Lamb frequently appears on Fox News and Newsmax TV.[1]

In November 2019, Lamb called for increased security along the Mexico–United States border to combat drug cartels from harming U.S. National Parks.[6]

In May 2020, Lamb stated he would not enforce a stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic on the basis that he believed it was unconstitutional. In June 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19 a week before his scheduled appearance at the White House for Donald Trump's signing of executive order 13925.[3]

In July 2020, in response to the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Lamb announced his intention to form a civilian posse of non-felon volunteers with four hours of training in legal guidelines and basic police tactics.[7][1] No protests occurred in Pinal County in summer 2020.[1]

In 2018, Lamb established the American Sheriff Foundation, a charity.[8] In August 2020, the Arizona Republic reported that the charity had raised more than $50,000 but left at least $18,000 unaccounted for and filed largely blank tax filings.[8]

In 2020, Lamb spoke at a convention of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, an organization that holds that sheriffs are the supreme legal authority in the United States and are not required to enforce laws they believe to be unconstitutional.[1] He has also appeared alongside the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which is described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[1]

Lamb ran unopposed for re-election in November 2020 after successfully suing to remove his competition from the ballot.[3]

Lamb is a supporter of the Stop the Steal movement.[1] Following the 2021 United States Capitol attack by supporters of Donald Trump, he spoke at a rally where he said the riot was not Trump's fault but rather caused by "the other issues that have happened – the Hillary Clintons that have gone unpunished".[9] He later described the rioters as "very loving, Christian people."[1]

In February 2021, Lamb co-founded (with Republican strategist Nathan Sproul and others) Protect America Now, a coalition of 69 sheriffs with the stated purpose of "educating Americans about how our Sheriffs and the law enforcement community are standing for our Constitution and law and order".[1] In May 2021, Lamb launched the American Sheriff Network, a subscription service providing videos showing sheriffs and their deputies carrying out their duties.[1]

Lamb is the author of American Sheriff: Traditional Values in a Modern World, which was self-published.[1]

Personal life[]

Lamb spent much of his childhood in Hawaii, and also lived in the Philippines, Panama and Argentina.[1] He moved to Arizona in 2003, after his paintball business in Utah failed and he filed for bankruptcy.[1] Before his career in law enforcement, he also worked in pest control.[1]

He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1] He and his wife, Janel, have five children.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Pishko, Jessica (October 15, 2021). "He Calls Himself the 'American Sheriff.' Whose Law Is He Following?". Politico. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Dale, Mariana (2017-03-30). "Pinal County Sheriff Must Balance Demands Of Rural, Growing Community". Fronteras. Retrieved 2020-06-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c Zaveri, Mihir (2020-06-18). "A Sheriff Who Defied Arizona's Lockdown Is Infected With the Coronavirus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  4. ^ Dillingham, Jared (October 25, 2019). "Pinal County sheriff balances TV and law enforcement duties". AZFamily. Retrieved 2020-06-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Jensen, K. Thor (June 18, 2020). "A GOP sheriff who vowed not to enforce Arizona's lockdown tested positive for COVID-19 during a White House visit". Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Musto, Julia (2019-11-14). "Sheriff calls for tougher border security to stop Mexico cartels poisoning US national parks". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  7. ^ Alana Minkler (July 31, 2020). "Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb discusses citizen posse in response to protests". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 6, 2020. Pinal County already has a patrol posse that is armed and assists deputies by booking people in jail. Other police agencies have a similar citizen's academy.
  8. ^ a b Oxford, Andrew. "Charity founded by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has $18,000 in unaccounted spending". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  9. ^ Oxford, Andrew (January 7, 2021). "Among some in Arizona GOP, siege of the US Capitol was everyone's fault except Trump". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

External links[]

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